Sully and Cassie
by mgowriter
Summary: Short moments in time that follow Sully and Cassie's relationship.
1. A New Adventure

**A New Adventure**

Sully straightened himself in front of the brick house. His finger hovered next to the doorbell before he remembered the obnoxiously loud noise it made inside. He changed his mind and knocked gently on the door instead.

A minute later, Nate stood in front of him with a wide grin on his face.

"Sully, come in. How was your flight?"

He stepped inside the house, looking around. "Good, good. I hope I didn't wake anyone. My phone ran out of juice so I had to knock."

"No, we're all up," said Nate. "Elena will be down any second."

Sully returned Nate's grin from earlier. "I can't believe it."

"Yeah, me neither. We've already been home for a day but it's still surreal."

Both men looked to the top of the stairs as Elena's footsteps padded down towards them. She saw Sully and broke into a genuine but tired smile.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi yourself," said Sully, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She carried a small bundle in her arms. The three-day-old infant was snugly wrapped in layers, accented with a small pink hat on her head. Her brown eyes were open, staring up at him.

"Sully, meet Cassandra Rosaline Drake," said Elena, as she transferred the bundle into his arms.

Sully hesitated for a moment, before carefully cradling the newborn.

"Cassie for short," Nate added, smiling at his daughter.

"Cassie," said Sully, staring down in amazement. One small arm had wiggled its way out of the blanket and five perfectly formed miniature fingers reached up toward his face.

"She's perfect," said Sully finally, looking up at Nate and Elena.

Nate and Elena shared a happy smile.

"We think so, too," said Nate, "coming from such good genes and all."

Sully laughed. "I can vouch for Elena, but the other half…I don't know."

Cassie yawned in his arms, her mouth forming into a tiny O.

"It looks like she's getting sleepy," said Elena, checking her watch. "I better feed her before she falls asleep, or she'll wake up hungry and crying."

Sully shifted Cassie back into her mother's arms and gave her hand a small squeeze. "I'll see you soon, Cassie."

Cassie responded with another yawn, and blinked at him with wonder.

"I'll take that as a good sign," said Sully.

"C'mon," said Nate as he led Sully to the kitchen. "Let's go sit outside for awhile." He grabbed two beers from the fridge on their way out into the back yard.

Sully made himself comfortable in one of the patio seats around the round table. He grabbed a cigar from his pocket, but looked to Nate before lighting it up.

Nate raised his eyebrows in amusement. "I never thought I'd see the day. Go ahead, the windows are closed upstairs."

Sully took the first few puffs in silence, staring back into the house through the glass door. "I don't even know what to say," he finally said. "She's like a perfectly packaged little human being. I mean, I pictured her to be cute, but this is too much."

"I always knew you were a sentimental old man," Nate responded with a grin. "It just took a baby to get it out of you."

Sully shook his head. "Nate, that little girl in there…that's everything. I can't believe she's yours. I can't believe you're a father."

Nate nodded in agreement, taking the first sip of his beer. "You're not the only one. I have to admit, I have no idea what I'm doing here. Any advice would be helpful."

Sully sat back in his chair and thought for a moment, before counting off on his fingers. "Let's see…don't let them run off in the middle of the night without tell you where they're going, especially if they're going to be scaling buildings to escape bad guys. Don't let them get captured pickpocketing a policeman in another country. Always lock your bedroom door or they'll wake you before dawn to go shooting or scouting or whatever it is that can definitely be done after the sun rises. Oh, and never leave them alone with a lady you're interested in. They'll wreck havoc with your pick up game." He looked pointedly at Nate. "And that's not even the half of it."

Nate couldn't help his laugh. "Sometimes I wonder how I came out of those years alive."

Sully resumed smoking his cigar. "Believe me Kid, me too. But you'll be fine. You have Elena. She won't let you screw it up too much."

"Thanks…I think," said Nate.

Sully placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's more of a learn on the job type of job, anyway. You'll be dad of the year in no time."

Nate accepted his words. "I'm really glad you could come."

"Me too. I wouldn't miss this for anything." Sully raised his bottle in a toast. "To family. May the bonds never break."

Nate mirrored his action. "And the adventures never end."


	2. Dr Seuss to the Rescue

**mgowriter's note**: I seriously love Sully/Richard McGonagle's voice, so this chapter had to exist.

* * *

**2\. Dr. Seuss to the Rescue**

Sully barely raised his hand to knock before the brightly colored door flew open and Nate ushered him in.

"Sully, you have to save us," Nate said desperately, over the obvious noise of a screaming baby in the next room. "She hasn't stopped crying in over two days."

"Two days?" Sully asked, noting Nate's haggard expression and the dark bags under his eyes. "What's going on?"

"She's teething," Nate replied. "And crying. And not sleeping."

Elena walked toward them with Cassie in her arms. The decibel factor in the room increased exponentially as they neared.

"Hi Sully," she said, almost yelling over the noise that filled the entryway. She looked even worse for wear than Nate.

"Looks like you guys have your hands full. Want me to hold her for a while?"

"Will you?" Elena said, her expression changing to a wave of relief as she handed Cassie over.

Sully looked down at the wriggly eight month old in his arms and smiled. "You're turning out to be a real troublemaker, I hear, just like your dad."

Surprisingly, Cassie's crying stopped at the sound of his words. A few seconds passed, with Nate and Elena in shock. The silence didn't last long, however, as Cassie began ramping up her tears again.

"Maybe she's hungry?" Sully asked. "Have you tried feeding her?"

Silence again, as Cassie stared up at Sully.

"Sully," Nate said cautiously. "I think it's your voice."

"What?"

"Your voice. It's calming her down. Keep talking."

"What do you mean keep talking?"

"Just—hang on a second, I have an idea." Nate rushed upstairs, returning in record time.

"Here," he said, panting slightly. He handed over a stack of children's books to Sully.

"You want me to read to her?" said Sully.

"Yes," both Nate and Elena replied with enthusiasm. "We'll just…be upstairs," Elena said, as they both began to back away.

"Getting a little shut eye," Nate finished her sentence. "Cassie's so tired she'll probably fall asleep within minutes."

"But—" Sully interjected.

"You're a lifesaver Sully," said Nate. He and Elena had already started up the steps. Elena mouthed the words "thank you" before they both almost ran up the steps.

Sully looked down at Cassie, who continued to stare up at him with her brown eyes.

"I guess it's just the two of us, kid," he said as he walked to the couch and sat down. He studied the cover of the first book, opened it, and began to read.

"On the 15th of May, in the jungle of Nool," Sully paused after the first line. "Have you heard this one before?" Cassie blinked at him in return. "Me neither," he replied. "Okay let's see what it's all about." He cleared his throat and continued.

"In the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool, he was splashing…enjoying the jungle's great joys…when Horton the elephant heard a small noise…"  
Cassie's eyes began to slowly close.

"So Horton stopped splashing. He looked toward the sound. 'That's funny,' thought Horton. 'There's no one around…'"

It took another two pages for her to finally admit defeat. Sully gently closed the book and placed Cassie onto the sofa next to him. She was sound asleep, breathing in an even cadence with the rise and fall of her small chest.

Sully chuckled, imagining Nate and Elena asleep in a similar state themselves. He looked down again at the small bundle next to him.

"Sweet dreams, Cassie."


	3. Victoria

**3\. Victoria**

"Okay, you guys ready?" Sully grinned from ear to ear as Nate, Elena, and Cassie stared up at him from the base of the Christmas tree.

"Yes!" Cassie clapped, her excitement hard to contain.

"I'll be right back." He walked past a mountain of discarded wrapping paper to the next room and carried a large box with a gigantic red bow back to the Christmas tree.

"Last present of the day," said Sully, setting the box in front of Cassie.

She looked up at him. "Can I open it now?"  
"Go ahead," he said.

She first untied the bow and set it carefully aside, before lifting up the cover to peek at its contents.

A small, brown nose poked out from inside, sniffing at her hand. Cassie inhaled with surprise. She quickly uncovered the rest of the box and a Labrador puppy emerged, wagging its tail.

"A puppy!" Cassie cried with joy. She hugged the pale yellow ball of fur with unbridled enthusiasm. The puppy licked her face and continued to wag its tail.

"Mommy, Daddy, look a puppy!" Cassie said again, her excitement growing by the second. She stood and ran around the Christmas tree as the puppy followed close behind, both of them carrying a trial of wrapping paper around their feet.

"I see that, Sweetie," said Elena, trying to grab the paper out of the way before they tripped. "What a surprise, huh?"

Nate looked towards Sully, his facial expression unsure of itself. "Sully, a dog…"

"Hey, a promise is a promise, right?" Sully replied.

It took Nate a moment to conjure up the memory. "You mean from Madagascar?"

Sully nodded.

He crossed his arms with a grin, the memory now fully restored. "So we can name it Victor then?"

"Victoria, I'm afraid," said Sully. "She was the only one left in the litter."

"Victoria," said Nate, reaching out to pet the puppy, who was panting slightly from its exertion. "Welcome home, girl."

Cassie threw herself around Sully's legs and hugged them tightly. "Thank you Sully. You're the best and you made Christmas the best!"

Sully bent down and gave her a kiss on top of the head. "You're welcome, Monkey. I'm glad you like her."

"Hey, what about all the presents from Mom and Dad?" Nate asked with feigned hurt feelings.

Cassie's smile never left her face. "They were good, but Sully's was the best!"

Sully laughed. "What can I say? I've got the key to the four year old heart."


	4. In the Safety of Sully and Teddy

**4\. In the Safety of Sully and Teddy**

Someone was tugging on his shirt sleeve, demanding his attention. Sully turned and peeked opened his eyes. Cassie stood at the side of the pull-out sofa bed, holding a large teddy bear that was half her size.

"Hey sweetheart," Sully said as he squinted into the dark. A quick look at his watch revealed it was past midnight. "What's wrong?"

Cassie looked at him with large, soulful eyes. "Mommy and Daddy are yelling and it woke me up."

As if on cue, Nate and Elena's voices projected from upstairs. The anger from their argument was discernable through the muffled words.

Sully frowned as he sat up in bed. "Should we go see what they're up to?"

Cassie nodded, and held her arms up. Sully picked her up with a groan. "How'd you get so heavy overnight?" he asked.

Cassie smiled and held onto his neck. "I dunno. Maybe it's Teddy."

Sully looked down at the bear squeezed between him and Cassie.

"He's coming along too?"

Cassie nodded.

"Ok, let's go."

. . .

Nate and Elena's voices grew louder with each ascending step up the stairs. Cassie's face was buried into Sully's chest by the time they reached the closed door into her parents' bedroom.

"It's okay," Sully said to her as he knocked on the door.

The arguing continued, oblivious to their presence.

Sully knocked harder, and was surprised by the immediate response.

"What is it?" Nate asked as he whipped open the door. His expression softened at the sight Cassie in Sully's arms.

"You're waking up the whole house," said Sully. "Everything okay in there?"

Elena appeared at the door. Her eyes were rimmed with red.

"I'm sorry baby," she said to Cassie as she held out her hands. "Did we wake you?"

Cassie turned and buried her face deeper into Sully's chest.

"Look," said Sully, "I'll put Cassie back to bed. You two…either figure this out or take it somewhere else, got it?"

Nate and Elena looked at each other, and both nodded.

"Good," said Sully. "We're going back to bed."

He entered Cassie's room, making his way to the bed by the glow of the pink night light. Cassie and Teddy were perfectly still as he tucked them both into the comforter.

"Are you going to be okay, Monkey?" he asked.

Cassie shook her head, her grip tightening on the teddy bear.

"Want me to stay until you fall asleep?"

She nodded and yawned in the same motion.

"Okay," Sully smiled. "Go to sleep. I'll be here if you need me."

"Thanks, Sully," Cassie said with her eyes closed.

"No problem, Monkey. See you in the morning."


	5. The Captain's Advisor

**5\. The Captain's Advisor**

"We sail with the whims of the wind, to claim treasure that's rightly ours. We will never yield to a stronger foe, nor cower to a more cunning enemy." Cassie stood valiantly at the bow of the makeshift boat, her wooden sword pointed at the audience. "We will always be…the Magnificent Moonlighters!" Without an ounce of hesitation, she sprinted toward the edge of the ship, threw her sword into the cardboard waves of the ocean, and swan dived at the stage floor some fifteen feet below, only to somersault at the last moment onto a piece of thin padding hidden between the waves.

A collective hush fell over the audience, followed seconds later by thunderous applause and a standing ovation. Sully looked to Nate and Elena, who both breathed a sigh of relief. To his right, Elena's mother, Noreen, shook her head in disapproval.

"I can't believe she did that," she said over the noise of the crowd. "It was so dangerous! She could've broken her neck!"

Sully nodded with solemnity, and chose to remain silent.

. . .

Cassie was one of the first kids out of the dressing room. She had changed back into her street clothes but still sported the drawn-on mustache of the hero of the show, Captain Firo.

"What did you guys think?" she asked as she bounded towards them.

"You were the best pirate that ever sailed the seven seas," said Nate.

"You were amazing!" Elena agreed. "I didn't know you were so good at acting."

"It was wonderful, sweetie," said Noreen. "But some of those stunts were quite frightening. Especially the one at the end. I can't believe the director let you do that."

"She didn't know I was going to do it," Cassie said with a wide smile. "I've been practicing it for weeks. Sully taught me."

Three pairs of adult eyes turned toward Sully, who cleared his throat under the especially deathly glare of Elena's mother.

"That's not…entirely true?" his statement involuntarily turned into a question. "Cassie, I thought you were asking me about that stuff as a hypothetical. Like hypothetically, what could you do to save yourself if you were diving off a fifteen foot ledge."

"Yeah, and you said it was totally doable," Cassie beamed at him. "Thanks for all the tips. All of my friends are talking about how cool it was."

Nate grinned secretly into the floor, knowing what was coming next.

"Cassie—" Sully began.

"Come on, dear," Noreen interrupted and reached for Cassie's hand. Her look of extreme disapproval never wavered in its intensity. "Let's go before we learn any other hypothetical skills."

Sully looked to Elena for help, but like her husband, she was also enjoying Sully's predicament.

"Thanks guys," he said with sarcasm, after they were out of earshot. "I could've used some help there."

"Sully," Nate said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let's be honest. No one could've helped you there. Hey, at least you taught Cassie well and she didn't hurt herself. Noreen will get over it…sooner or later."


	6. Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting

**mgowriter's note**: because…my favorite food…is cake.

* * *

**6\. Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting**

"Honey, you have to blow out the candles. They're already half melted and they won't last forever."

Cassie looked up at her mother, then around the dark room filled with people. The only light that illuminated the crowd came from the nine candles in front of her.

"But he promised he'd be here," she said, the sadness evident in her voice. "It's my golden birthday."

"Maybe he got delayed," said Elena, "it's raining pretty hard outside. Or maybe something happened. I'm sure he wanted to be here."

"Do you think anything bad happened?" she asked, suddenly worried.

"No, nothing like that," said Nate. "I'm sure he's fine."

"Sully can take care of himself," Chloe said with an encouraging smile. "Isn't that right, Charlie?"

Cutter paused his chewing, the remaining piece of pizza still in his hand. He swallowed and finally said, "That's right. The old man's good at what he does."

Cassie wasn't convinced. "But what if he needs help? How would we know?"

"Why don't you make a wish?" Elena suggested. "You can wish for anything. It's especially effective on your golden birthday."

"Really?" Cassie's eyes lit up.

Elena nodded. "Close your eyes, make your wish, then blow out the candles."

Cassie closed her eyes and squeezed them shut. After a few seconds, she opened them and blew the candles out in one breath. The room was covered in darkness for a second before everyone cheered and the lights came back on.

. . .

She crushed the last forkful of chocolate cake into the frosting, turning her dessert into a pile of mush. It was still raining hard outside, without any movement in the street below.

"There you are," said Elena as she entered the room. She took a seat next Cassie on the bay window. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

Cassie nodded. "We should probably get back to the party."  
"Not if you don't want to," said Elena. "It's your birthday. We can do whatever you want."

"I—"

The sound of the doorbell rang from downstairs, catching them by surprise. Cassie was the first one to the door. She opened it and burst into a wide grin. "Sully! I knew you'd come. My wish came true! I knew you wouldn't forget!" She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist to hug him, disregarding his wet clothes.

"Of course I didn't forget," Sully said, returning the hug. "Have I ever missed one of your birthdays?"  
Cassie shook her head, still clutching on to him.

"And I don't plan on it."

"Sully," said Nate as he and Elena stood just inside the doorway. "Come in. It's pouring outside."

Cassie finally let go to allow Sully in. As he stepped into the light, both Nate and Elena were shocked at the state of his clothes. Drenching wet, and caked with mud and dirt, it was hard to guess the original color of his shirt. A jacket was draped over his back, with a dark red stain just above his right shoulder. His usually clean shaven face sported a few days of beard growth.

"Sully—" Nate began.

Sully gave him a look. "You have somewhere I can clean up a bit?"

Nate nodded, playing along. "I'll get you some dry clothes."

"C'mon," Elena said to Cassie. "Let's go into the kitchen."

"But—"

"We have to get Sully a piece of cake, don't we?"

Cassie finally conceded. "I'll be right back," she said as she let Elena lead her away.

. . .

Cassie stood obediently at Elena's side as her mother began to cut the cake, but quickly found her escape when Chloe entered the room to start a conversation. She tiptoed around the corner and very carefully placed her ear against the bathroom door, hearing the voices of her dad and Sully from the other side.

"What was the job?" she heard her dad ask.

Sully answered, but his voice was further away. She couldn't make out the words.

"Why did you guys split up?" Nate spoke again.

After a moment, his voice rose in anger. "He left you?"

"Look, I'm back in one piece. Why does it matter?" Sully's voice also rose in volume.

"I'm gonna kill him," Nate said with conviction. Cassie backed away from the door in surprise. Then she heard, "Why didn't you call me for help?"

"Cassie!" Elena's voice called from the kitchen.

She reluctantly abandoned her post and returned to her mother's side.

"Wanna give this to Sully?" Elena asked, holding out a plate with a large serving of cake.

Cassie nodded, and walked back to the bathroom. She hesitated, before knocking gently on the door.

It's me," she said. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Sully answered from the other side.

She opened the door, carefully balancing the plate in front of her. "For you," she said with a smile.

Sully reached for the plate with one arm while favoring the other. His wet jacket had been removed and thrown into the bathtub. A white towel covered his shoulder, but she could see it starting to stain pink from underneath. Her dad was reaching for something in the first aid kit.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"This?" Sully motioned toward his arm. "It's nothing. I'll be all better by tomorrow."

Cassie wasn't convinced.

"Hey," Sully said with a grin. "How did you know my favorite was chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting?"

She smiled back at him. "It's my favorite, too."

"I almost forgot the most important thing," Sully said as he set the plate down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace with three blue beads that glowed under the overhead light. "Happy birthday, Monkey."

She reached for the necklace, mesmerized by the blue beads. "What is it?" She asked.

"Those are tanzanite beads. They were worn by a princess that lived in what's now northern Tanzania a long time ago."

"How did you get it?" Cassie asked in wonder.

Sully looked at Nate, then back down at her. "I have...a lot of friends, in different places."

"It's beautiful," she said, and give Sully a hug. "I love it. I'll wear it every day."

Sully grunted in pain at the contact with his shoulder. Cassie withdrew quickly.

"It's okay," he assured her. "Just a small cut."

"Cassie, why don't you see if your mom needs you," said Nate. "I'm going to help Sully clean up so he can join the party."

Sully gave her a nod and a wink, signaling he was okay.

She smiled and mouthed "thank you" on her way out, bounding towards the kitchen to show off her new treasure.


End file.
